MFA: Russia is ready to pay debts to PACE and take part in the June session

Moscow hopes that the rights of the Russian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will be fully restored and it will be able to join June's session, Andrey Kelin, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of European Cooperation (DEC), said.

Report informs citing RIA Novosti that Russia will be ready to pay off the debt on contributions to the budget of the organization, accumulated since the introduction of sanctions against parliamentarians.

“We will be ready to pay our debt to the Council of Europe provided that the rights of our parliamentarians are fully restored and they can take part in the next sessions of the Council of Europe. That includes the June session, which is very important for us, as the new general secretary will be elected. To this end, certain amendments should be made, including those of a statutory nature, which would not allow any other national delegations to be discriminated for political reasons," the diplomat said

He stressed that it makes about EUR 60 million - Russia  pays EUR 32-33 million annually.